Bajoran
The Bajorans are a humanoid species native to the planet Bajor in the Alpha Quadrant. The Bajorans have one of the oldest and richest cultures in the quadrant, though in recent history they have suffered greatly at the hands of the Cardassian Union. With their liberation from the Cardassians in 2355 by Federation forces, and the discovery of the Bajoran Wormhole in 2369, the Bajorans have taken a new place as major players on the interstellar stage. Physiology Bajorans resemble Humans in appearance, and are distinguished by a series of four to seven horizontal creases across their noses. Bajorans also feature two light and dark skinned racial variants, although the dark skinned Bajorans are a very small minority. The Bajoran heart is mirrored along a horizontal axis, unlike the Human heart, which is mirrored along a vertical axis. A puncture in the lower ventricle of the heart will cause instantaneous death. Bajoran women gestate for only five months, forming an intricate network of blood vessels between the mother and the fetus. During the pregnancy, Bajoran women are frequently afflicted by bouts of uncontrollable sneezing. Bajorans have an average lifespan of 160 years. Medical Conditions *Satai *F'relorn Disease *Kalla-Nohra Syndrome *Tartha Pox History Ancient Bajor Bajoran civilization stretches back more than half a million years, which is long before Humans learned to speak or make tools. The ancient Bajorans were renowned for their accomplishments in science, mathematics, philosophy, and the arts. Their recorded history goes back 30,000 and is divided into four ages. The greatest of these early Bajoran civilizations was the First Republic, which flourished between 25,000 and 20,000 years ago. During this time, magnificent cities such as B'hala were built. The early Bajoran people encountered and battled the non-humanoid species known as the Vorel. The First Bajoran Republic stretched as far as the Tarvo System. The next great phase of Bajoran civilization began approximately 10,000 years ago, when the first of the Tears of the Prophets were discovered above Bajor. These artifacts ushered in a new era of spiritual connection with the Bajoran gods, the Prophets. By the 16th Century, the Bajorans had developed sublight space travel and were exploring their home star system with solar-sail spacecraft. Some Bajoran explorers even reached the Cardassian System, several light years away. In the 24th Century, this period came to an abrupt end with the annexation of Bajor by Cardassia. Cardassian Occupation The Occupation of Bajor (usually simply referred to as the Occupation) was the period from 2328 to 2355 during which Bajor was under the control of the Cardassian Union. During the Occupation, the Cardassians perpetrated a coordinated scheme of strip-mining, forced labor, and genocide across the planet. The Occupation gave rise to the fierce Bajoran Resistance, which used guerrilla and terror tactics against Cardassian targets, and with the aid of the Federation is 2355, forced their withdrawal. Independent Bajor In 2355, after nearly thirty years of domination over Bajor, the Cardassians finally left unable to survive the combined efforts of the Bajoran Resistance and Starfleet. As the Bajorans established an independent government, the United Federation of Planets moved into the system and, along with the Bajoran military, established joint control of the mining station of Terok Nor. Bajor applied for membership in the Federation in 2357 and were promptly accepted, at which point most of the members of the Bajoran Provisional Militia (the evolution of the Occupation-era Resistance) were folded into Starfleet. Government Following the Cardassian withdrawal from Bajor, the Bajoran Chamber of Ministers was set up to administer the planet and its various colonies, led by the First Minister, though the religious Vedek Assembly, led by the Kai, still wields a great deal of influence. Agencies *Bajoran Institute for Science *Bajoran Intelligence *Bajoran Militia Religion and spirituality The Bajoran religion is a major unifying force on the planet; the spiritual leader, or kai, wields a great deal of moral and political authority, advising and influencing the planet's political leader, the First Minister. The kai is chosen from a council of Vedeks, the title given to Bajoran religious leaders. Ranking below vedeks are Ranjens and Prylars. The Bajoran religion is based upon the revelations of the Prophets, who are now known to be the timeless beings residing in the Bajoran wormhole, or as it is called by the Bajorans, the Celestial Temple. Part of the Bajoran religion involves the use of the Tears of the Prophets, reality-distorting energy orbs produced by the Prophets. Several of these were stolen by the Cardassians during the Occupation, though all but two have been recovered. These are believed to have been destroyed. Certain fringe groups have begun to develop such as the Ohalavaru who do not believe that the Prophets are gods but in fact aliens who serve as teachers. This group is considered heretics by the majority of orthodox Bajoran believers. Among the even more heretical groups are the Cult of the Pah-wraiths who ares considered followers of "evil" gods that would destroy Bajor. These followers themselves are divided in their worship between the Pah-wraiths of Jalbador and the Pah-wraiths of the Fire Caves. Culture and society Bajoran culture and customs are closely tied with Bajor's religious beliefs. Names Bajoran custom places the surname (or family name) before the given name. Therefore, Captain Elaithin would properly be addressed as Captain Elaithin, not Captain Jii. :This convention is similar to the Hungarian, Chinese and Japanese naming customs of Earth. Childbirth The traditional Bajoran birthing ceremony is attended by the woman's family and a midwife. The objective of the ritual is to induce complete relaxation through a combination of breathing exercises, rhythmic percussion music and incense, allowing the woman to give birth without pain. However, the birth must take place in a certain period of time, or the level of endorphins within the mother's system will build to toxic levels. When the child is born into the world, he or she is greeted with the following words: "Awake child, we await you with love and welcome you into the world." Funerary customs The Bajorans generally bury their deceased in graves marked with a decorated arch. Bajoran funeral rites can be quite elaborate; for example, the Bajoran Death Chant is over two hours long. However, the preservation of the body itself is not of particular significance to the Bajorans, who believe that after death a person's Pagh joins the Prophets in the Celestial Temple, leaving only an empty shell. To mourn the death of a loved one, Bajorans light duranja lamps. Music Bajor, as an advanced society, is well-known for its music. The Jalanda Forum is still a popular performance venue, having been rebuilt after the Occupation. Behavior Originally, the Bajoran race were a pastoral people who lived simple farmer lives while others sought artistic pursuits from folk art to music or story telling. Such pursuits helped derive personal satisfaction. The species had little interest in the rest of the Galaxy as they focused on being contemplative as they were quite an introverted people despite 30,000 years of history. The typical Bajoran simply wanted to go about their business in peace and expected the same from others. They were typically indifferent towards alien species, neither liking nor disliking them but remaining friendly to them; this attitude has remained despite the oppression they faced from the Cardassians. The biggest change within the Bajoran mind was brought through the harsh brutality the Cardassians brought during the Occupation of Bajor. In order to gain freedom through any means necessary, the people of Bajor began to resort to assassinations, terrorist attacks and other similar actions in order to remove the alien influence from their world. These harsh lessons turned many Bajorans into ruthless fighters with many becoming scarred after the conflict from witnessing the horrors that they did. Others become pugnacious and chauvinistic after the Occupation with suspicion being placed on those who did not fight the Cardassian occupiers. This has also resulted in a great deal of paranoia in regards to outsiders. One noted aspect of Bajoran society that was greatly diminished by the Occupation was the caste system. Known as D'jarra, a family's caste determines their profession in life as well as places a restriction on their pursuits. Social norms dictate that Bajorans of certan D'jarra are forbidden from interacting with those of lesser ones. While the Resistance led to a much more integrated society, there are still prejudices based upon old castes, and families of the upper castes still hold the balance of political and economic power. Holidays and festivals *Berajin *Days of Atonement *Gratitude Festival *Ha'mara *Bajoran Time of Cleansing Food and beverages * Alvas * Bajoran shrimp * Deka tea * Foraiga * Groatcake * Hasperat * Hasperat souffle * Jumja stick * Jumja tea * Kava * Kava juice * Katterpod * Klavaatu * Koganka pudding * Larish pie * Mapa bread * Moba fruit * Palukoo * Rekja * Springwine * Synthale or Bajoran ale ** Voodai * Tuwaly pie * Veklava People *List of Bajorans Sources *Bajoran @ Memory Alpha *Bajoran @ Memory Beta Category:Species Category:Bajorans Category:United Federation of Planets